Fashion’s biggest sustainable cotton initiative, Better Cotton, has appointed former International Cocoa Initiative executive director Nick Weatherill as its new CEO. Weatherill takes over from Alan McClay, who has led the nonprofit organisation for the past decade.
The 20-year-old initiative was set up by an international group of environmental organisations, brands and trade groups with the aim of rapidly increasing volumes of cotton produced with lower environmental impact and higher social standards. Roughly a fifth of the world’s cotton production is now certified under the programme and it’s become a go-to for brands from H&M to Louis Vuitton.
But it’s also come under fire from critics who argue its standards are too lax. Weatherill takes over after a period in which the organisation has moved to tighten up its oversight, introducing a traceability solution in 2023 and becoming a certification scheme earlier this year.
Weatherill’s “appointment marks a renewed impetus that will ensure Better Cotton evolves to an even more impactful standard, benefitting the environment, farmers, workers, and local economies,” said McClay.
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